Threadz is a learning analytics tool that allows you to visualize and better quantify student discussionsthat happen in the discussion boards of your Canvas course. Developed by Eastern Washington University with academic use in mind, Threadz lets you map a discussion by person or by discussion thread.
| Cost | Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth | Low demand | |
| Canvas Integration | Works within Canvas | |
| Privacy | Threadz isFIPPAcompliant and data is stored securely in Canada | |
| Similar UBC-Supported Tools | Canvas’s built-in analytics and statisticsare other tools to help understand student engagement in course content, outside of discussions. |
What can I use it for?
Threadz可以帮助您了解学生参与in Canvas discussions:
- Map discussions to identify which students have interacted with each other
- Download student data to see how many times each student contributed to the discussion and what was said
- Identify isolated students to encourage engagement between them and the rest of the class
How are faculty using Threadz?
Leah Macfadyen uses Threadz to monitor and share engagement around discussion topics in Education
What do I need to use Threadz?
A Canvas course
Threadz only runs in Canvas courses.
A Canvas discussion
You will need to create a discussion in your Canvas course and have students participate in it to analyze the outcomes.
Tips
- Threadz works best when using Chrome or Firefox browsers, but it can run in Edge and Safari too.
- Threadz is supported on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, but we recommend using full-screen deviceswhere viewing and downloading the data is easier.
How do I use Threadz?
To use Threadz, you will set it up in your Canvas course, run a discussion in Canvas, and analyze the outcomes.
Click any bar below for instructions and tips for using Threadz.
Set up Threadz in Canvas
If you wish to use Threadz, you will first request access from us and then make it visible in your course.
- Contact usto request Threadz be enabled in your Canvas course. Please provide your course code and Canvas URL for the course(s) you wish to use Threadz with.
- Once Threadz has been added to your course, make it visible in your course:
- Log in to Canvas, and clickSettingsin the Course Navigation.
- Click theNavigation tab.
- Find the Threadz menu item, click theoptions menu(the 3 vertical dots), and chooseEnable.
- Saveyour setting changes.
Tips
- By default, the Threadz navigation item in your Canvas course will only be visible to you and your teaching team, but you can request it be enabled for students, allowing them to see and learn from the the discussion visualizations too. With Threadz enabled for everyone, you can engage students in conversations beyond the discussion topic itself, looking generally at what makes a stronger or weaker discussion in a course.
Create a Canvas discussion for Threadz
Threadz works best in a Canvas threaded discussion.
- Log in to your Canvas course, and clickDiscussionsin the Course Navigation. If you don’t see this option, first enable Discussions:
- ClickSettingsin the Course Navigation.
- Click theNavigation tab.
- Find the "Discussions" menu item, click theoptions menu(the 3 vertical dots), and chooseEnable.
- Saveyour setting changes.
- On the Discussions page, click+Discussion.
- Create a title and description for your discussion. You can also add links, files, and images.
- Under "Options", check theboxnext to "Allow threaded replies" to allow students to respond to each other. Threaded replies is key to making Threadz an effective teaching and learning tool.
- Set any other discussion options you would like, such as adding date constraints or grading.
- Once you are ready, clickSave & Publish.
Tips
- Threaded discussions in Canvas allow for infinite levels of replying, which makes them better for Threadz analysis. In contrast, focused discussions in Canvas only allow replies to the original post, which makes them useful for quick topics but less useful for Threadz analysis.
- Explore Canvas' guides for more detailed instructions on using discussions:
- Group discussionsin Canvas do not work with Threadz.However, they are still a useful tool to facilitate conversations about course content.
Examine student data in Threadz
Threadz offers three main options for visualizing your Canvas discussions: network diagrams, chord diagrams, and timelines. To see any of these visualizations, you will access Threadz through your Canvas course.
- Log in to your Canvas course, and clickThreadzin the Course Navigation.
- If prompted, clickAuthorizeto allow Threadz access to your course's discussion data.
- At the top of the page, select thediscussionyou wish to analyze.
- Click theNetwork tabto open the network diagram. Network diagrams show the connections between posts in the discussion. A thicker line here indicates that a student has sent more posts to other students. You can customize the display:
- Display by User- Sort the size of user circles by the number of posts and replies sent, the number of replies received, total posts and replies sent or received, and total word count.
- Display by Posts/Replies- Sort posts and replies by word count, as well as highlight if the post or reply was late, if the post hasn't been read, or if any students are isolated.
- Click and drag a user circle to untangle heavily overlapping networks.
- Click theChord tabto open the chord diagram. Chord diagrams show the direction of interactions between people in a discussion. You can interact with elements on this display:
- Display a student's post count by hovering your mouse over their edge of the outer circle.
- Display the number of posts sent between two students by hovering your mouse over the chord connecting them.
- Click theTimeline tabto open the timeline diagram. Timelines show the daily number of posts added to the discussion over time.
Tips
- Network diagrams are useful for understanding the structure and depth of the discussionand identifying isolated students. At the bottom of the tab, there is a list of students who have not yet contributed to the discussion.
- 对于了解sp和弦图是有用的ecific students are interactingwith each other as well as for viewing peer-to-peer engagement overall.
- Timelines can be useful for understanding if students are posting at similar timesand for seeing if more time is needed for further discussion.
- By examining student data, you can gauge how discussions are developing and be more inclusiveby prompting further engagement so more students are included in the conversation.
Download student data from Threadz
Downloading student data allows you to keep a record of student engagement and conduct deeper quantitative analysis of student participation. You can download aggregate student data for access to numeric information or download the discussion replies for access to the conversation content.
- Log in to your Canvas course, and clickThreadzin the Course Navigation.
- If prompted, clickAuthorizeto allow Threadz access to your course's discussion data.
- At the top of the page, select thediscussionyou wish to download data from.
- For aggregate student data, click theStatistics tab, then clickExport Users Tableto download a spreadsheet of individual student statistics.
- For discussion replies, click theData Set tab, then clickExport SNA Datato download a spreadsheet of all responses.
- Open the downloaded files in a spreadsheet software like Excel to conduct deeper statistical analysis about student engagement, such as the mean number of posts per student.
Tips
- Aggregate student data summarizes numeric information, including the number of times each student contributed to a discussion, their total word count, and the average word count of their posts.
- Discussion replies data compiles all the posts added to the discussion, including deleted posts, allowing you to review and analyze what was said. Discussion posts that were deleted will contain empty "message_text" cells in the spreadsheet.
- You can view the total numbers of participants, posts, deleted posts, and threads for a discussionat the top of the "Statistics" tab.
Where can I get more support with Threadz?
Technical support
If you have trouble with Threadz:
- Contact your faculty’sInstructional Support Unitas your first point of contact
- Contact us for further assistance:
604 827 4775 orLT.hub@ubc.caor visit theLT Hub online
Learn more
- Watch aThreadz screencastfrom developers at Eastern Washington University for a demonstration of the tool.